I desire you, Emily
by lezperspectivepenandpaper
Summary: Desirable Emily Fields, too bad she's oblivious to just how gorgeous everyone thinks she is. Time to get this girl a mirror (and a date) stat. Set now, but with no –A. In my story, Emily wears a name tag when working in the Brew. *Please don't hate me Paily shippers, I love them, but I'd rather see Emily happy. Enjoy. Reviews welcomed. Thanks!
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer/ Authors Note:** I do not own Pretty Little Liars characters or anything related to the TV show. I have simply borrowed the characters and turned them into my own story, for your reading pleasure. Enjoy.

**I desire you, Emily.**

**Chapter 1:**

Sometimes it was so easy to slip back into old habits, habits that Emily thought she had grown out of…but apparently not. Emily stood at the counter in the Brew pretending to listen to the customer in front of her, a gorgeous brunette, with subtle green eyes, placing her order for a trim caramel latte. Her mind was elsewhere, and had been all morning since the beginning of her shift. How could she get so caught up in the new cook? Hadn't it only been a few weeks since she and Paige had called it quits? _Ouch that still hurts _Emily thought to herself, that and the realization that there was a very dull ache in her chest. To say things ended on a simple 'I can't be with you' note was such a crock of shit. Emily knew life was never simple, when it came to her love life and her new dilemma had her in such a daze.

Emily heard the kitchen door swing open, and knew that the lithe footsteps that followed belonged to her daydream, the stunning dark skinned, beauty that was Talia. Emily had forgotten that she was busy serving a customer; the flawless brunette smiled longingly at Emily as Talia approached the counter. Noticing Emily's distraction, the brunette paid her money, muttered a quick "Thanks" and headed over to a table by the window. Leaning in towards Emily, Talia cockily piped up "Gee Emily, do all of the customers fawn all over you like that? I know you're cute, but do you realize just how cute you are?" Emily drew in a sharp intake of breath, unsure of how to answer, when she realized just how close Talia was standing beside her now. _Wow, that was some compliment _Emily thought to herself, _say something Fields…_ "Ummm, she was just being friendly, nothing more".

Sure Talia was being forward, and it did nothing to quell Emily's desire to figure out if this new situation could work. Talia took a step away from Emily and placed a large container of warm apple and cinnamon spiced muffins onto the counter. "Here, take her one of these with her coffee, I'm sure she'll give you her number if you ask nicely. Just flash her your signature 'killer smile' if all else fails. Tell her it's on the house, since you failed to pay her any attention while you were taking her order." And with that remark Talia brushed past Emily, and back into the kitchen, leaving Emily in a fluster.

Emily went about making the brunette her coffee, being sure to fluff the milk just right, carefully spooning the last of the warm froth onto the top of the steaming hot beverage. She normally wouldn't worry about making the latte look perfect, but decided she'd be nice to the girl and add some extra caramel sauce to the top, in the shape of a heart. Sure it looked cheesy but she didn't really care. Emily grabbed a plate from the shelf behind her, and used a pair of tongs to pick up one of Talia's muffins. _Damn this smells good, she sure can cook _Emily thought as she lifted the plated muffin onto a serving tray and placed it next to the hot latte. Mustering up some courage, she headed over to the brunette sitting by the window, looking out at the hustle and bustle of the street while she waited for her beverage.

It didn't take the brunette long to realize Emily was standing there; trying to think of something more than her usual greeting, and failing miserably, she quickly flashed Emily a brilliant smile and said "Hi" saving her the trouble. "Uh, sorry about before, I really didn't mean to be so oblivious when I was taking your order" Emily smiled bashfully in reply, hoping like anything that she didn't look like a total idiot. "Here, please except this as an apology for my rudeness, it's on the house" as she handed the muffin and latte to the girl. A big grin spread across the brunettes face, "my name's, Kara, and you didn't have to do that Emily, but I'm grateful all the same, at least this means you know my name now" she said with a smirk. Flustered and feeling her cheeks starting to warm with her embarrassment, Emily offered her a quick glance, trying not to get too caught up in her flirting with her, _forward, very to the point _Emily thought as she slipped her free hand into the back pocket of her skin tight jeans to hide her nervousness. "Nice to meet you Kara, I hope you enjoy your muffin" and with that, Emily walked back to the counter, and internally reprimanded herself for allowing Kara to have that effect on her.

Glancing at the clock above the door to the kitchen, Emily began to figure it was time to start checking there were enough supplies for the lunchtime rush, if it could be called that around here. Nine to eleven was always slow in the brew on a Sunday morning, there were of course the regulars, but in such a small town like Rosewood, everyone knew everyone and Emily could predict who would be in for a lunchtime pick-me-up. Knowing that it was almost eleven thirty, and there would be three more customers coming in any time now, Emily hastily retrieved the bag of coffee beans out from the shelf below the cash register and began to fill up the coffee grinding machine. Machine full, Emily sealed the bag, and slipped it back under the counter as she heard the brew door open, then close quietly. Looking up, she saw Kara walk past the big expanse of glass window and give her a quick wave as she left. A warm smiled tugged at the corners of Emily's lips all of their own accord.

Grabbing a bottle of cleaner and a cloth, Emily headed over to Kara's table to collect her mug and plate, only to notice a note written hastily across a napkin, slipped just under the edge of the coffee mug. Pulling the napkin out from under the mug, Emily could see a phone number, and a little smiley face drawn next to it. _Another distraction and a beautiful one at that, _Emily mused to herself. She pocketed the napkin into the front pocket of her apron and headed back to the kitchen with the dirty crockery.

Talia heard the kitchen door open, but chose not to look at Emily as she sauntered in, and placed the dirty dishes into the plastic tub on one of the service counters, to wait to be washed up later. She was standing at the island prep table, with her hands gently kneading a big wad of fresh pastry. Without looking up from the mini pastries she was preparing, Talia asked "so, how did that muffin go, did it win her over, Emily?" Caught off guard, Emily turned to face her and gave Talia the biggest smile she could muster. "Sure did, and I even got her number" Emily replied confidently, yet on the inside she was a bundle of nervous energy. Maybe pretending like this desire for Talia could go away could make things easier for Emily, Emily knew she was really fooling herself, but she had to try. _Ezra would not approve of a workplace romance, and I desperately need to keep this job to save up money for college_. And with that thought, Emily walked back out into the front of the shop expecting the girls to arrive at any minute.

As the kitchen door swung shut, Talia lent heavily against the counter, flour covered hands stilled on the surface of the table, then gently wiped across the front of her apron. _Shit, that was too easy; I guess I didn't count on that girl being so confident. Who am I kidding any way, Emily's gorgeous, and of course she'd give her, her number! Fuck it! _Talia thought in despair. That idea had certainly backfired, all she was trying to prove was that Emily had no idea just how gorgeous she was. _How am I going to fix this now_, Talia pondered?

Emily had begun to make three coffees, each one of them very different from the other, but Emily knew how the girls liked them, and remembered each one off by heart. Spencer had a Caffe Americano – no additives, just straight up coffee, sure to zap her awake at any time of the day. Hanna preferred a Caffe Mocca – slightly more girly, with a sprinkle of chocolate on top. And last but not least, Aria like her Vienna Coffee – topped with a dollop of whipped cream. Each coffee was just as different as the girl that drank it. Just as she was about to finish the cream on the last coffee, she heard the front door to the brew open and in came a breeze of laughter and discussion. Of course Hanna was the loudest; she could tell who that laugh belonged to without even looking up. As the girls approached the counter, Emily slid three coffees across to them and flashed them her megawatt smile "Hey, I'll be with you guys in a minute, grab a seat, I have something to tell you" she beamed as she hastily wiped down the machine and checked to make sure the counter was clean.

The three girls exchanged looks at each other and headed for the couch, coffees in hand, to the back corner of the store. Slumping down onto the comfy old couch, Hanna spoke up first "Do you think she's going to tell us about this thing she has going on with the cook? Caleb mentioned it to me. I mean, sure she's gorgeous, I just don't want Em to get hurt…and it's still only been a few weeks since she broke up with Paige". Both Spencer and Aria nodded in agreement as they sipped at their coffees. "I guess we will just have to wait and see Han, I mean, did you see her smile, she looks happy at least" Aria offered from behind her mug. Spencer was too busy eying Emily behind the counter to offer any comment, sure she looked happy but Emily's love life was far from ever being simple.

Checking to see that none of her regulars needed anything, Emily made her way over to the girls on the couch. Plopping down next to Hanna, Emily was grinning from ear to ear as she began to explain her morning. "Sooooo, this stunning brunette came in this morning, I don't think I've seen her around before, but she totally gave me her number! Her name's Kara." Emily couldn't help her enthusiasm as she began to explain how this had come about. Hanna started to list off a few questions, and Aria offered a nod here and there as Emily answered.

Spencer sat and sipped her coffee, noting how Emily seemed to have a small sparkle in her eyes, one that seemed to have been missing since she broke up with Paige, _stupid Paige, letting her go_ Spencer mused to herself. _If I'd been the one dating Em, I'd never even let the thought of breaking up even enter into my mind_. Emily shot Spencer a grin, noticing how Spencer was staring at her, but not saying a word. "You okay there Spence? You sure are quiet today" Spencer pulled herself away from her thoughts to answer "yeah Em, I'm fine, it's about time you started seeing people again. I was just thinking about how much of an idiot Paige was to let you go, but hey, that's her loss". Emily looked directly at Spencer, trust her to be out right honest with her, then she quickly looked down to her lap to hide the tears begging to burst forth. "Shit, Em I'm sorry, I didn't mean for that to come out like it did" Spencer bit down on her bottom lip, annoyed at her stupidity for so easily upsetting her best friend. Hanna lent across and patted Emily on the shoulder "Em we love you, we just want you to be happy, I think that's what Spence was trying to allude to". All eyes were on Hanna now. "What? I know how to use big words when I need them" Hmph! Hanna pouted, causing the other three girls to giggle in unison.

Awkward conversation over with, Emily excused herself and said she needed to head back to the counter, as it was almost twelve, and there'd be more customers in any minute now. Heading back to make sure things were in order, Emily was replaying Spencers comment over and over in her head, '_That's her loss' – yeah it sure was… what's going on with Spence? Is Spence keen on me now, or was it just that she hated Paige for leaving and making me so unhappy?_ Surely there was nothing going on with Spencer that Emily hadn't picked up on, she was fiercely loyal, that had to be it. Emily dismissed the notion of Spencer liking her, and left it at that.


	2. Chapter 2

**Authors note: Thanks for the reviews, please keep them coming. Enjoy!**

**I desire you, Emily**

Chapter two:

Glancing down at the time flashing on the till, Emily sighed as she noticed she had five more minutes to go on her shift at the Brew. _Three pm couldn't come soon enough_ Emily thought to herself. Five minutes to tidy the counter, check that there were enough clean mugs for the next person taking over her shift, and checking to see if any of the customers needed anything else before she headed home.

Meanwhile, in the kitchen, Talia was sitting at a desk in the back corner of the space, busy writing out the orders for Monday morning deliveries. She'd been sitting there for a while, chewing on the end of a ballpoint pen, caught up in thoughts about Emily, when she really should have been getting on with her work.

Just then the door swung open, and in marched Emily to deposit a few dirty dishes into the tray to be cleaned. It was obvious she was in a rush to leave work, granted it was three pm on Sunday, and no one really wanted to be working. Seeing an opportunity to catch Emily for a minute, Talia dropped her pen and took a deep breath "Hey Emily, do you have to leave in such a hurry? I have something I've been working on, and I was wondering if you'd be my taste tester?" _There that wasn't so hard was it?! Please say yes, please say yes…_Talia nervously thought to herself.

Emily turned on the spot, glancing across to the desk where Talia was seated. Sure she wanted to bust out of this place and head home to hang out with her friends, but she could spare Talia a few minutes, it was no big deal. "Uh sure, but what exactly will I be sampling? I'm not really that adventurous when it comes to the food department, if you get what I mean" Emily blushed, when she realized just how that had sounded. _Great Fields, sounds like you've got foot in mouth disease. Suggestive much? Crap! _Emily mentally face-palmed herself.

Casually walking over to Talia, Emily plonked herself down on the edge of the desk, waiting to try whatever it was that the dark skinned beauty had concocted. Flashing Emily a small smile, Talia pushed back from the desk, and spun her chair around and headed for the large fridge that they kept their cakes and slices in. Her nerves where getting the better of her, so long as Emily didn't notice, she could play it cool.

"So, I was thinking it was about time we added something new to our range of cakes. I mean, it's nothing spectacular, it's just a twist on a chocolate mud cake, but here, try it any way, and tell me what you think?" "Sure, Emily replied, I bet it's great" trying to offer up a compliment, as the woman in front of her looked unsure of herself.

Talia rifled through one of the serving draws and came up with a fork. Deciding to be bold, she dug the fork into the cake, and suggestively lent in toward Emily. "Open up" was all she managed to get out, as she watched Emily begin to slowly open her appealing lips, to take the offered cake. A shaky hand slowly edged toward Emily's lips and gently popped the piece of cake into her mouth. Talia had been subconsciously holding her breath as she got nearer to Emily perched on her desk. Hopeful that this flirting wouldn't backfire and she'd be back to square one with the raven haired goddess before her.

Savoring her mouthful of cake, Emily tried to pick out the secret ingredient. _Extra melted chocolate? A hint of vanilla, no, is that espresso I can taste? _Without thinking, Emily muttered "Mmmm your delicious" before she realized just what had slipped out of her mouth. Talia's eyes opened wide, _did I just hear her right, oh my god! _"I mean, shit, did I just say that, ummm, I'm sorry. I meant your cake is delicious" Emily rambled. Thankfully her tanned skin kept her blush from showing, 'cos she sure was blushing now. "Whatever you have added, it's totally amazing. I'd eat that cake in a heartbeat." Emily quickly glanced down at her chucks, trying to avoid making this situation any worse. Little did she know, but Talia was internally high fiving herself for tripping Emily up like that, and getting that response from her. _Ask her to stay, share a slice…no harm in trying right? _And with that thought, Talia boldly placed her hand on Emily's knee and suggested staying to finish off a slice of the chocolate mud cake.

Emily could feel her skin tingling from Talia's touch; despite wearing jeans, her hand felt warm and calming placed on her knee. "Okay, sure. The girls won't mind if I'm late, just let me send Hanna a text to let her know I'll be there in a bit" and with that, Emily flashed Talia a grin and reached into her purse to grab her cell.

**_Hey Han, just letting you know I'll be late. Playing taste-tester for Talia ;-) Promise I'll be there soon…I may even bring you some cake. Em xox_**

The girls were hanging out in Hanna's room, casually flicking through magazines while lazing on Hanna's bed. Hanna heard her phone beep, and reached into her pocket for her cell. Quickly opening Emily's text, she read over it, eliciting a small chuckle and hastily typed out a suggestive reply.

**_Are you sure it's just cake that you're taste testing Em? X_**

Emily heard her phone beep with Hanna's reply. _Dammit Hanna, I'm not that much of a player_ Emily thought to herself as she quickly swiped out of the message app and popped her phone back into her purse.

Spencer had heard Hanna's phone beep, followed shortly by Hanna's short chuckled at who ever had messaged. Looking up from her magazine, Spencer asked "was that Emily? Why's she late?" Emily was never late, but since the cook had shown up at the brew, things had obviously changed and Spencer wasn't so sure that she liked the direction that this was heading in, not that she'd admit that to anyone but herself. "It's okay, Spence, she'll be here soon. She's trying some of Talia's baking, if you know what I mean" Hanna couldn't help stirring the pot a bit. She had an inkling that Spencer wasn't letting on just how much she was invested in Emily's happiness. _So much for concentrating on this damn magazine now, screw that cook. Ugh! _Spencer was furious, but what was she going to do about this, it's not like she could do anything…not with Toby around, that's for sure.

Forgoing an actual plate, Talia sliced a piece of chocolate mud cake and handed Emily the fork that she'd just used to feed her. Taking the fork in her hand Emily confidently picked up a mouthful of cake and held the fork up to Talia, implying that it was her turn to be fed. How could Talia resit this? Gorgeous big brown eyes, looking at her like that, encouraging her to lean forward and take the offered mouthful. Talia lent across the cake and towards Emily's outstretched hand, taking the cake from her should have been easy, but she was so nervous. Outwardly she came across as confident, cocky even, but inside she wasn't so self-assured. Smiling at Emily, she opened her mouth and bit down on the fork, sucking in the cake and giving Emily a shy smile.

Emily was entranced; just there at the crest of Talia's lip was a smear of chocolate frosting. Without thinking, Emily reached out with her free hand, and gently swiped her thumb across the top of Talia's lip, retrieving the smudge of frosting and quickly popped her thumb into her own mouth and sucked it clean.

Talia hadn't moved, she could hardly breathe. All that managed to escape her lips, was a small satisfied sigh, which she was sure, Emily had heard. Locking eyes with Emily, she tried to form a sentence but nothing came out, and the raven haired beauty quickly looked away. _Damn she's stunning, I could get used to hearing that sigh… _Emily was well and truly lost in her thoughts.

With the fork still in her other hand, Emily dug into the cake, making quick work of finishing off her slice. Meanwhile Talia had pulled herself from her daydream about the goddess in front of her, and went about packing up three extra slices into a takeout box, so that Emily could take them to Hanna's house when she left. Neither of them said a word, unsure of what to say or how to act until Talia slid the box across to Emily and said "here, I'm sure the girls will want to know what you've been taste testing, we can't have them thinking you didn't try my cake now can we?" giving Emily a slight smirk. "Thanks, I'm sure they'll love it" Emily replied, and with that, she eased off of the desk, grabbed her purse and the takeout box and headed for the door. Without looking back, Emily said "I'll see you tomorrow, maybe you'll have something else for me to try by them?" _two can play this game Talia, just you wait._


	3. Chapter 3

Authors note: Thanks for the reviews, keep them coming. I really appreciate the feedback.

**I desire you, Emily**

**Chapter Three: **

The trip from the brew to Hanna's house took Emily less than ten minutes in her Toyota. Pulling up to the kerb, Emily killed the engine and took her keys out of the ignition, with one last glance in the rear view mirror; she checked her hair and makeup. Satisfied with her appearance, Emily seized the box of cake and opened her door. _I hope they're not too pissed at me being late_ she thought to herself as she slammed the door shut, and flicked the button on the remote to lock her car.

Stepping up onto the sidewalk, Emily gazed up toward Hanna's bedroom window; there casually leaning against it, and looking right at her, was Spencer. It seemed like Spencer had been waiting for her to show, Emily flashed her a smile and headed for the Marin's front door.

Unable to sit and wait around like the others, Spencer had been distracted since Emily had sent Hanna that text earlier about being late. Her thoughts kept drifting from the magazine in front of her, so she'd made the excuse of needing to stretch her legs so that she could pace back and forth in front of Hanna's window, so she could keep an eye on the street below. _Dammit, of course she had to look up and see me, ugh. _Slightly annoyed that she'd been caught watching Emily from above, Spencer quickly disappeared from sight, and resumed her spot on Hanna's bed and pretended to read through another magazine.

Emily approached the front door and hit the buzzer. Spencer looked up as she heard the doorbell ring. "I'll be right back" muttered Hanna, as she slipped off of her bed, and flounced along the hallway to head down the stairs, to greet Emily.

Spencer felt sick, well, mostly annoyed. Fighting the urge to fly off of the bed, and head for the door, she glanced across to Aria, to see if she was paying any attention to her behavior. Oblivious, as usual, Aria dutifully studied a page of Boho looking earrings in the fashion magazine before her. Spencer chuckled internally, _of course with the bird feather earrings…only Aria would be keen on those. _Staying put, Spencer tried her best to look neutral, yet underneath her fake exterior, her stomach was anything but settled. _Why do I have to feel like this about Em? Ugh Hastings, get your shit together._

Five seconds passed, the front door swung open abruptly and Emily was greeted with Hanna's annoyed face at the doorway. "Em, talk about taking your time with the cook, Spence has been driving us nuts up there. Oh, is that cake I spy in that there box? Hand it over immediately!" "Hi, nice to see you too, Han. Yes, that's cake, go right ahead, there's enough for the three of you" Emily said, as she gently closed the front door and followed Hanna into the kitchen.

The Marin's kitchen was huge in comparison with the one at her house, Emily often thought about how nice it would be to have a bigger, flashier house. She quietly watched as Hanna gathered up three plates, some cutlery and set about opening the box to divide up the cake that Emily had brought over. "So, its chocolate mud cake, there's a hidden ingredient, and Talia would like to know what you think it is, that is if you don't mind" Emily blushed as she said Talia's name in front of Hanna. Hanna flashed Emily a devious smirk "Sure Em, are you certain it's not just your opinion that she's after?" "Shut up and eat your cake Han, I don't know what you're talking about, we're just friends" Emily replied as she grabbed one of the plates on the counter and headed for the stairs to head up to Hanna's room and see her friends that were patiently waiting there. Hanna, two steps behind her, yelled up the stairs "watch out, hot piece of ass coming your way…not that she knows!"

Emily faltered and turned around to glare down at Hanna "what do you mean, Han?" Hanna laughed it off and pushed past Emily and into her room.

Emily walked the short distance across the room toward Spencer, gently sitting down next to her on Hanna's bed, not even noticing how distraught Spencer looked and said "here, take this, it's for you" as she flashed a shy smile. Hanna, not missing a beat, lent in towards Aria and put on her best imitation of Emily's sweet voice and said "here honey, have some cake" as she slid her plate across to her suggestively. Aria and Hanna burst into a fit of laughter, Spencer looked away, unable to decide whether she wanted to laugh or cry.

"Do you mind telling me what's going on Han? Emily fumed. _Shit's about to get real _Hanna thought to herself. _Mission accomplished_, _now it's up to Spence to take it from here…if she has the guts to say something_. Ignoring the fact that she'd just handed Aria a plate of cake, she tugged at the corner of her top and suggested that they leave Emily and Spencer to check out something in the den. Aria took her cue, hopped up and followed Hanna from her bedroom, silently glancing back toward Emily and Spencer on Hanna's bed. "Be back in a minute, guys" Hanna yelled as the two of them headed down the stairs, feeling very smug with herself. Thankfully Aria didn't bother to ask what that was about and followed Hanna to the den, where they plopped down onto a large leather sofa and flicked on MTV.

"So, do you mind telling me what that was all about, Spence? I saw you at the window. Is everything okay?" Emily said as she looked directly at Spencers big brown eyes. Struggling to form a coherent sentence while Emily gazed at her lovingly, Spencer looked away, resigned to the fact that she lacked any subtlety right now, while she was still fuming from Hanna's words totally dropping her in it. "Nice cake. Talia sure knows how to impress. I have to go Em, I'm sorry" and with that, Spencer pushed up off of the bed, and hastily walked away from Emily, leaving her in a haze of confusion. "Spence, wait up, we need to talk…please!" Emily called from the top of the stairs.

Taking the stairs two at a time, Spencer didn't even bother to turn around to acknowledge Emily as tears started to stream down her fair cheeks. Just as she was about to open the Marin's front door to escape, a slender, mocha skinned hand clutched at her hip, begging for her to turn around in its embrace. Slightly out of breath, from having raced down the stairs, Emily breathed "Please don't go, whatever it is, we can talk about. I care about you Spence, please talk to me."

Spencer knew there was no getting out of this, so she slowly turned around to face Emily. Emily's hand ghosted across Spencer's stomach and came to rest on the opposite hip as her friend turned to face her, neither of them wanting to break the intimate contact. She didn't care that she had noticeable tears on her cheeks, it wouldn't be the first time Emily had seen her cry, and it certainly wouldn't be the last. _Hastings you are screwed, god she smells so good! _Being this close to Emily made Spencer want to lean in and kiss her friend so badly. Noticing that Emily hadn't let go of her hip, or moved back from her to create some distance between the two of them, Spencer shakily inhaled a deep breath and slowly let it out of her pursed lips. "I can't do this now, I'm still with Toby. I don't know how to explain, but I just need some time, Em." And with that, she eased Emily's hand from her hip, trying desperately to keep focused on leaving with some dignity intact and turned once more toward the door to leave. Emily hadn't uttered a single word. _Shit, what just happened? _

Spencer opened the door and stepped out into the late afternoon breeze, making a hasty retreat to the safety of her home. She needed time to think; time to work out how she was going to win Emily over. _Talia's going to have her work cut out for her; I won't let her win so easily, Hastings' always get what they want._

Emily stood in the doorway, watching Spencer hurry across the street. Things were about to get really complicated, or so it seemed.


End file.
